5 Steps to Ward off Heart Disease

You are aware that a balanced and healthy diet and not smoking are very important factors for a healthy heart. In fact, traditional risk factors like a family history of heart disease and controlling high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, are all central to preventing heart disease. But you can find several surprising ways you can up your chances of warding off a heart attack:

1. Exercise. About 2.5 hours of physical activity weekly (approximately 30 minutes daily) is not just good for the heart, but for all organ systems. This does not always mean organized exercise. Even physical activity in your home, including housecleaning and cooking or outside the house, like shopping for groceries and doing errands can provide benefit. Obviously, exercise is the best and most consistent way to achieve this goal, with aerobic exercise being the best for the heart, in fact stretching and anaerobic (weight) exercise can help as well. On the other hand, too much exercise can actually overexert your heart, so don’t overdo it.

2. Optimum Level of Sleep. According to studies, the best nightly sleep time is 7 to 8 hrs. Those who sleep over 8 hrs possess a bigger incidence of high blood pressure, which may be as a result of issues such as drinking too much, working too hard or depression.

Additionally, middle-aged adults who sleep under 7 hrs per night also have a bigger incidence of heart disease and high blood pressure. They may have a sleep disorder or a highly driven, Type A personality. They may feel they have too much to do to sleep.

Anyway, when you don’t get an optimum level of sleep, your nightly blood pressure levels never dips ( lowering offers protection against heart events). Instead, blood pressure remains higher, causing a thickening of the heart muscle and damage to vessels. Sure, sleep is the fact that important.

Specialists recommend people to get to bed earlier, shut off electronics an hour or so before bed, skip caffeine after noon and avoid excess drinking, which tends to wake you too early.

3. Normal BODY-MASS Index. Being overweight drastically make you prone to heart disease, so a normal body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 decreases risk. However, BMI has some downsides, so a normal waist-to-hip ratio ( WHR ) should also be an ambition. People with a “pear” shape ( more fat around the buttocks, hips, and thighs ) have lesser risk compared to an “apple” shape ( more abdominal or belly fat; this reflects more fat around the abdominal organs ). There are lots of heart diets that may avoid and reduce heart disease, including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH ), the USDA Food Pattern, and the American Heart Association ( AHA ) diets.

4. Reduce Stress. Stress plays a role in cardiovascular disease and, if severe, can cause a heart attack or unexpected death. There are numerous solutions that help reduce stress, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, striving for a great relationship, laughing, volunteering or attending religious services. Watching TV usually, does not relieve, but can worsen stress. Also, stay away from situations and people who make you nervous or angry.

5. Find a Hobby. Hobbies aren’t just spending time. Hobbies take your mind off depressive thoughts simply because you’re concentrating on something positive and getting projects done. Additionally, they tend to make people less inactive.

People with hobbies are up and about; gardening, woodworking, and even a ceramics class help you have interactions with others while pursuing a pastime. Picking up a hobby with a friend is much better since you’ll socialize and work in tandem. Leisure activities improve our happiness, relieve stress and lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Maybe not all of these steps are simple to accomplish, but all these steps will put you on the road towards better heart health. Actually achieving these goals will decrease your risk of heart disease.

You are aware that a balanced and healthy diet and not smoking are very important factors for a healthy heart. In fact, traditional risk factors like a family history of heart disease and controlling high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, are all central to preventing heart disease. But...

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